


Keeping an Eye on the Competition

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Series: Byleth's Three Houses Harem Run [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F!Byleth, F/F, Public Sex, Scissoring, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Catherine is determined to find out what about Byleth has Lady Rhea so interested in her. There are always certain ways of going about that. She choose a very... specific way of doing so.
Relationships: Catherine/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Byleth's Three Houses Harem Run [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538857
Kudos: 42





	Keeping an Eye on the Competition

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this slot was supposed to go to Shamir, but she's been pushed back two slots. I hadn't really put thought into where the churchgoers would... church go, and I realized Catherine made sense here.

One day, Byleth was given a curious note from a courier. All it said was 'Meet me in the Knights Hall right away - Catherine', which was a request that came out of the blue. She wasn't sure why Catherine wanted her to head over there, much less immediately. It could have been that the more-experienced knight wanted to train with the relatively new teacher, though that could've been accomplished in a face to face meeting beforehand. The only other thought that came to mind was that someone was in trouble, and Catherine wasn't able to leave their side at the time.

Nodding at the courier, Byleth took off in a full sprint. Her cloak billowed heroically in the wind as she ran by students and knights mingling around on the grounds. They all stopped to stare at her, wondering where she was going so fast, but she didn't have time to stop and chat. If there really was something wrong going on, she couldn't waste any time with idle chit-chat. Getting there as soon as possible was paramount.

"Catherine!" She shouted the moment she entered the hall, sword out and at the ready. However, a quick glance around the area revealed that there was no one there but Catherine. Quirking an eyebrow, she slowly sheathed her sword, though her guard was still up. "Is everything alright here? When I get your message, I came as soon as I could."

"There's nothing major going on, Professor. No need to be so tense." Catherine laughed, Thunderbrand slung over her shoulder as she casually approached Byleth. "I just called you over because I wanted to have some friendly sparring." So it _was_ because Catherine wanted to train with her. Why, though? She could have just come told her beforehand that she wanted to do this. By sending the courier, it had made her fear something worse had been going on.

"Uh, alright." Byleth shrugged, loosening up the tenseness that had formed in her muscles. "How come, though?" Normally, her training involved the other students or her father. The knights usually trained with each other, and that included the higher-up knights like Catherine. They may have battled together in the field before, but in the training grounds, they tended to do things separately.

"Because I've been curious about you." She had been? Well, that was news to Byleth. "Lady Rhea seems to have quite a fondness for you, and I'm not sure why." Catherine walked closer to her, her eyes never leaving Byleth. Truthfully, Byleth had been wondering the same thing herself. She didn't know who Rhea was before their chance encounter with the house leaders. Perhaps she was just thankful that someone had come in to join their teaching ranks, since the previous professor had apparently 'ran off'. "I mean, look at you. You're not even that strong or good-looking, but she watches you like you're Saint Seiros herself."

"Huh..." Well, that was a bit uncalled for. She wasn't sure where Catherine was going with this, or why these thoughts made her want to train together. It almost sounded like Catherine wanted nothing to do with her. "Well, I don't believe Rhea looks at me any more fondly than she does with the rest of the faculty." She wasn't sure if that was true, and from the way Catherine's stare narrowed, she got the feeling that it wasn't to be believed anyway. This really was not the lead-in to a training session that she had expected.

"Believe me, you'd be surprised." Catherine crossed her arms, staring Byleth down. "It's unfair, really. I've been Lady Rhea's best and most loyal knight for years, but the moment you walk through those doors, all she can think about is _you_. She talks about you often, you know?" Saying that out loud gave Catherine an expression akin to swallowing a lemon. "It feels like during every conversation, she speaks of you as if you're some sort of grand savior, or like you're her long lost l-" She stopped immediately, a light blush on her face as her expression further soured. "Like a long lost _friend_."

Byleth wasn't even sure how to respond to that. Yes, she had noticed that Rhea had shown her more attention than one would expect for a person they just met. However, it very well could be just because she was Jeralt's kid. Rhea and her father had know each other some time ago, before she had been born. Not only that, but Jeralt had been one of the top knights in the entire monastery. It seemed reasonable to believe that Rhea just felt that she, a kid of that knight, could become someone like that on the battlefield.

"Well, I'm going to figure out just _what_ makes you so interesting to Lady Rhea." Not giving her any time to answer, Catherine walked over to a rack of training swords, grabbing one and tossing it over to her. She caught it and stared, frowning slightly. "Come on, Professor. It'll be just you and me. Nothing explains things about someone quite like a battle." Well, she wasn't _wrong_ , exactly, but she wasn't too sure if this would give Catherine whatever it was she was looking for.

"Alright then." In the end, she just shrugged and tightened her grip on the sword. If this was what Catherine wanted, then she would give it to her. It wouldn't be her fault if nothing was learned by the end of it. So she got in her stance, and Catherine got in hers. They eyed each other for a moment before one of them moved.

It was Catherine who made the first move. With a yell, she charged forward, swinging her sword with intent. Byleth parried her, and the two clashed swords, their eyes meeting each other's. From the look on Catherine's face, Byleth could tell she was wasn't holding anything back. This wasn't a mere practice duel: it seemed like Catherine was treating it as if it was a real life or death situation.

Byleth was able to parry or dodge all of Catherine's swipes, though Catherine was able to do the same for her. They seemed to be evenly matched, neither of them giving an edge to the other. If someone walked in and saw them in action, they might have believed they were trying to kill each other. That wasn't the truth, or at least Byleth didn't _think_ it was, but she was keeping her guard way up just in case.

Eventually, Byleth was able to gain an edge. She pushed forward, slashing at Catherine with all her strength. Though Catherine continued to block her, she found herself being pushed back, step by step. Gritting her teeth, she swung with all her might, trying to break through Byleth's defenses. However, she was unable to get a single hit on the professor. Finally, after pushing Catherine to the brink, Byleth surged forward and slashed through her defenses, getting her right in the middle of her chestplate.

"Ah!" Catherine cried out in surprise, the force from Byleth's attack sending her sprawling onto her back. She grunted when she hit the ground, her sword falling from her hands. Looking up at Byleth, she was beyond shocked at what had happened. She had _lost_ : she hadn't even gotten a single hit in. After all of her knight training, she had been bested by a mercenary. It felt worse than when she'd lose to Shamir, because at least Lady Rhea wasn't fawning over Shamir like she did Byleth.

"Are you okay?" Byleth became a bit concerned when Catherine didn't get up. She kept lying on the ground, staring up at her and barely moving a muscle. Getting down onto her knees, she looked over Catherine, trying to see if there was any injuries that she may have sustained. It wasn't as if she had hit her _that_ hard, so maybe it was just the shock of falling down... or the shock of losing.

"I-" Catherine found herself unable to look away from Byleth's eyes. Something about her had her hypnotized, and she couldn't understand what it was. There was something about her... What was it? Why did she feel as if she was frozen to the spot, and that everything around them had disappeared? Were they even in the knights' hall anymore? They could have been somewhere completely random for all she knew. Was... Was this what Lady Rhea felt: so _captivated_?

"Uh, Catherine?" She was staring at her quite oddly. Byleth wasn't sure how to interpret that. That was, until Catherine suddenly grabbed her by the collar and yanked her down on top of her. Byleth's eyes widened as she was pulled down, quickly wondering if this was some sort of impromptu battle technique. That thought was quickly dashed when Catherine kissed her.

Byleth's eyes widened, pulling away from Catherine. She had not expected that in the slightest. Yes, she had been kissing some of the students - and a faculty member - for a few months now, but this came completely out of the blue. She would have never expected someone like Catherine to be so forward towards her, especially after calling her 'not that attractive'. Now she had just kissed her. What in the world had changed?

There wasn't any time to dwell on that: Catherine was not to be deterred. She grabbed Byleth's collar again and pulled her down, their lips crashing against each other's. It wasn't so much that Byleth was fighting against Catherine's advances as much as she was still trying to figure out why this was happening. That took long enough that eventually Catherine pulled away herself, frowning at the lack of reciprocation she was getting.

"What? Are you not interested in me?" Catherine's words broke her from her stupor, forcing her to quickly react to avoid any further emotional damage.

"No, I didn't say that. I just didn't expect that." She was being truthful, at least. Hopefully it showed on her often-neutral face. "Didn't you say I wasn't attractive?"

"Ugh, yeah, I did." Catherine sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, I don't know _why_ I'm doing this, but... I want to know _why_ Lady Rhea feels so strongly about you. If I can't beat you in physical combat, then I'll just have to beat you in another way." Her expression appeared serious, and Byleth just stared blankly at her. So she really felt that she could impress Rhea by topping her sexually? Manuela hadn't taught her anything about that. "What's with that look?"

"Just processing," she responded honestly. Well, she had yet to turn out a sexual advance, and this probably wasn't the day she started doing so. However, she had yet to submit to any person in the monastery so far. This didn't feel like the time to start doing that. Catherine could try to defeat her in the 'love' part of war, but she might end up being surprised. "If it'll answer your questions, I'm willing."

"That's what I like to hear!" Catherine pumped her first, then for the third time dragged Byleth down into a kiss. This time, Byleth reciprocated, kissing Catherine and grabbing her hips. They both were sweating from exertions in their previous sword fight, but they had plenty of stamina to spare. It allowed them to kiss longer than most people would, but Catherine pulled away before she had really run out of breath. "Shit, the door."

"Hm?" Byleth looked over at the doors, which were still flung wide open. Ah, right... Discretion was probably advised in this case. Getting off of Catherine, she went over and shut the doors. The locks were on the outside, but perhaps if they were locked, people walking by would think the hall was closed. Hopefully they wouldn't think about it too hard. With the doors closed, she returned to Catherine, who had gotten back on her feet.

Catherine met her halfway, pushing their bodies together as they got right back to kissing. "I'm going to figure you out," Catherine muttered in between kisses, thrusting her hips forward. "I'll learn exactly what makes you so special." Byleth didn't respond, because she figured that any response wouldn't do any good. Instead, she reached around and slipped her hands beneath the long cloak that covered half of Catherine's legs. That let her grab onto Catherine's ass, though it was hard to get a good grasp when she was wearing such cumbersome pants.

She could hear Catherine making various sounds against her lips, mostly little grunts. Whether they were of pleasure, annoyance, or both, she couldn't be sure. Catherine didn't bother explaining herself, and she didn't feel like it was time to ask. Instead, Catherine busied herself with removing Byleth's cloak, while she did the same with Catherine's long, dress-like cloak. She deftly removed the older knight's belt, letting it all fall down to the ground.

"You show off a lot of skin," Catherine mentioned offhandedly, looking directly at Byleth's cleavage. "Maybe that's what has her so intrigued..." By now, it seemed like she was talking more to herself than to Byleth. Pulling away, she began to work off her armor, flicking off the clasps and allowing it to clatter to the ground. The black tank top she wore beneath really showed off what her armor had been hiding: she had a decently large chest. It wasn't on the level of several of the girls that she had slept with so far, but they weren't unimpressive. "Do you think Lady Rhea would pay more attention to me if I walked around like this?"

"Maybe." She didn't know Rhea's tastes, if she had any in the first place. It didn't seem very religious to lust after people, but what did she know? About religion, nothing but what Mercedes had taught her. She could admit that without her armor on, Catherine was a very attractive woman. Her arms were well-defined and muscular. Out of all the knights Byleth had seen, she may very well be the strongest of them all just in arm strength alone. She looked like she could pick up Bernadetta and use her as a barbell.

It became clear that Catherine was staring at her breasts, and she didn't seem particularly happy. "You've got quite a chest on you," she remarked. It was supposed to be an offhand comment, but it was tinged with jealousy. Byleth looked down at her chest, then over at Catherine's. Was Catherine jealous that she was bustier than her? That was quite a thing to be jealous about. Her body type was usually better for battle anyway. Wasn't that the most important thing to a knight?

Apparently not, if the daggers she was shooting at her chest were any indication. Well, there wasn't anything she could do about that, unless there was some spell that could make her breasts smaller. Shrugging to herself, she started to disrobe, keeping an eye on Catherine as she removed her outerwear. Though she didn't think Catherine would actually attack her while she was undressing, one couldn't be too careful.

While she undressed, Catherine couldn't seem to keep her eyes off her. Her eyes were specifically trained on her breasts, but they did wander down her arms and stomach. "Maybe that's why..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Byleth was able to hear her. She was now standing there in her underwear, showing (nearly) everything off to Catherine. Surprisingly, Catherine had a slight blush on her face, as if she was embarrassed at seeing her in such a state of undress. "Wow..."

Byleth flexed her muscles, though not on purpose: she was just stretching herself out, getting a bit more limber for what was to come next. Her years as a mercenary definitely gave her a fit body: one that could rival any of the Knights of Seiros. It did seem like Catherine was taking a liking to her body, at least if her wandering eyes were anything to go by. Her blush deepened as she finally looked away, starting to remove her own outerwear.

This time, it was Byleth who took the initiative. She got back in Catherine's space, kissing her with a quiet, dominant force. Despite all of Catherine's talk about finding out 'what your deal is,' she was surprisingly docile as Byleth kissed her. Her arms went around Byleth's neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Standing about four inches taller than Byleth, Catherine had to dip her head in order to make things work. It seemed to work pretty well.

Without those pants on, Byleth could reach around and get a real good grip on Catherine's ass. It was the firmest ass she'd grabbed so far, and she gave it a couple of squeezes to really get that feeling into her fingertips. Catherine whimpered quietly at the touch, which was a bit surprisingly. It sounded way too meek to come from someone like Catherine, yet the proof was right there. She pulled away from their kiss, staring at her curiously.

"What is it?" Now it was Catherine having to wonder why she was being stared at. Little did she realize that it was her own involuntary actions that had intrigued Byleth so much. Byleth suddenly pulled down her panties, allowing Catherine a good look at her snatch before she sat down. "Professor?" She was now really curious as to what was going on, as much as she was enjoying seeing someone as hot as Byleth almost completely naked. Not that she should be admitting that...

"Take off your panties and sit down with me." It was a command, one that Byleth wouldn't have believed would be followed when she initially walked into the hall. However, after seeing how Catherine was acting around her, she felt that she'd have a better chance with this. She wasn't wrong: after several moments of hesitation, Catherine hooked her thumbs in her panties and pulled them down, then sat down across from Byleth. It seemed that she wasn't quite as dominant as she made herself out to be.

She scooted up closer to Catherine, grabbing her legs and pulling them apart. Catherine allowed it to happen without complaint, her expression becoming more unreadable than it had been at any time before. It was almost like Shamir was sitting there rather than the more expressive knight. Once her legs were spread, Byleth got in between them, slipping her right leg underneath Catherine's left. Catherine was watching her with wide eyes as she lifted her left leg, setting her foot down over Catherine's thigh and past her back.

It felt weird to be doing this in silence. From her previous interactions with Catherine, she'd seemed like a talker. At least more than a good handful of others at the school. Now, having her sitting in silence as their legs intermingled, she felt a sense of suspense. It was... interesting, to say the least, being alert while being one bra toss away from complete nudity. Then again, she wouldn't hesitate to fight nude if someone jumped her while in the shower, or something of the sort. She would always be prepared.

The silence continued until she pressed their crotches together. That finally got a noise from Catherine: a tiny, docile whimper. It sounded so foreign coming from her, but it let Byleth know what she needed to do. Despite all of Catherine's bravado, she was willing to submit, even to a woman she apparently had some sort of Rhea-related issues with. All she knew was how to be in control of these situations, so that was what Byleth did.

She pressed her hips forward, grinding her crotch against Catherine's. The tiny whimpers grew louder as Catherine looked down, watching their pussies grinding against each other. She bit down on her lip, trying to keep her sounds muffled. It occurred to her that she had lost control of the situation. She had brought Byleth over to find out what exactly made her so appealing to Rhea, and somehow that had led to her being almost completely naked and submitting to the Professor. If only she could get herself back on top...

That was easier said than done, though. Though they were sitting across from each other, it felt like Byleth was just naturally on top. She was in control, grinding against her and running a hand down her torso. Eyes focused on her breasts, Byleth sat up further, getting her hands on her bra and removing it from her body. Now she was truly, completely naked, in more ways than just physical. It felt like everything about her was on display now, and there was nothing she could hide from the Professor. She felt more nervous than when she was an actual student at the monastery.

For the moment, at least, that meant there was nothing she could do to turn the tables. Byleth started to move her body, up and down, and soon both of them were undulating against each other. She panted heavily, her pussy growing rapidly wetter and allowing easier movements from Byleth. Her eyes were now focused on Byleth's entire being, watching her move with a quiet confidence. There wasn't any hesitation in her movements: she just ground their pussies together like she'd been doing it her entire life. _Had_ she been? She had no idea. Come to think of it, she really didn't know _anything_ about Byleth...

Now, to be fair, she wasn't sure Byleth knew much about _her_ either, but in that moment, it felt like everything about her was laid bare. It came out in the moans she couldn't muffle, and the way her eyes couldn't leave Byleth's body. There was no need for her to say any actual words: it was as if Byleth was staring right through her, which was both unnerving and somewhat arousing. Her pussy continued to get wetter, and wetter still as they ground against each other at a faster pace.

Byleth would run her hand down Catherine's torso, absently grabbing her breasts as she pressed forward with her hips. Then she'd drag it down to her stomach, sliding her fingers across Catherine's abs. She was in impressive shape, there was no doubt about that. Perfectly sculpted due to her years of combat, Byleth found herself enjoying being able to explore all of the muscles that she could reach. It made her lean in closer, her bra-covered breasts grazing against Catherine's extended knee as she massaged her lover's arms.

Breathing heavily, Catherine watched as Byleth got closer still. An arm wrapped around her back, pulling her in the rest of the way. She sighed against Byleth's lips, kissing her eagerly. So this was what being into sex felt like. She'd _had_ sex before, but this was like being engulfed in nothing _but_ sex. Byleth's tongue was dancing across her lips, their hips rocking faster together. Her breathing was increasing, hitching whenever she felt an ultra-sensitive jolt of pleasure run through her. It was numbing her mind to any thoughts except for what she was doing at the moment.

"Hah... Hah... I'm..." Her voice felt weird, having not used it since the two of them got undressed. She almost asked who had just spoken before realizing that it was _her_. How dazed was she, really? She wasn't in the right state of mind to guess. All she could do was kiss Byleth, grinding against her pussy with a growing eagerness. Her hips were rolling up and down, sharp gasps coming from her whenever Byleth would push up and press against her clit. She repeated Byleth's actions in touching her muscles, feeling lost drifting along the wondrous definition of her arms and stomach. Not to mention those breasts...

Her body suddenly tensed up, every muscle on edge as her orgasm hit her like a charging beast. She spasmed on the ground, Byleth's sturdy grip keeping her upright as she came. Though she was staring at Byleth, she really wasn't looking at anything at all. Her eyes were wide, but her vision was blank. It was all feelings: feelings of the most incredible pleasure she'd ever felt. Sometimes she'd feel numb, and other times she'd feel way more than her body could possibly handle.

Just like that, all the tension left her body, and she slumped forward. Her head laid on Byleth's shoulder, her chest heaving up and down as she attempted to catch her breath. Having sex with Byleth had been just as much of a workout as their swordfighting had been. She felt like she'd been locked into an orgasm for a long time, but something in her brain was telling her that it hadn't been nearly that long. It just felt that way.

Byleth pulled away from her, maneuvering her legs away from Catherine's. She continued to sit with her legs stretched out on either side of Catherine, looking at her impassively. There was still something missing: an orgasm of her own. Sometimes she'd put on the strap and fuck a girl into near-unconsciousness, without asking for any reciprocation. Today, however, she felt compelled to get something from Catherine.

"Come here, Catherine." She beckoned Catherine over, who scooted forward without a word. Reaching behind her back, she unclipped her bra and tossed it aside, Catherine's eyes immediately being drawn to her large breasts as they bounced free from their confines. She sat there without speaking either, silence once again filling the hall. It made sense to her that she wouldn't need to say anything to show what she wanted. Thankfully, Catherine seemed to understand pretty quickly.

She got between Byleth's legs, her chest heaving as she stared into her eyes. Just from that, Byleth could tell that Catherine was gone. Any thoughts of working her way up the sexual ladder were no longer weighing down her brain. She was just thinking of pleasure, whether it was her own or what she was about to give the Professor. That suited her just fine.

Getting directly into Byleth's personal space, she dropped her head into the soft pillows that were Byleth's breasts. Goddess, they felt _wonderful_. It was like floating on the softest cloud drifting across a bright blue sky. With little awareness of where she was anymore, it really did feel like she had been transported to the Heavens above. Yeah, she could understand why others would stare.

Resting her head on Byleth's breasts, she got a hand down between Byleth's legs and started to finger her. While she tended to be better with her tongue, her fingers weren't half-bad at their job. Besides, her tongue was busy being in her mouth, which was presently planting kisses all over the supple expanse of Byleth's chest. She wanted to enjoy every moment she had with it.

Byleth let out a quiet sigh as Catherine started to suck on her left nipple. At least she wasn't distracted enough that she was shirking her duties down below. Her fingers moved around inside Byleth's pussy, caressing her most sensitive spots with a deft touch. Byleth leaned back on her palms, pushing her chest out and making it seem even bigger, which was a pretty decent feat. Catherine hardly noticed, though, too busy lathering attention on her nipples with her greedy tongue.

She was intoxicated by everything that was happening. Her lips refused to pull away from Byleth's breasts, peppering them with kisses between flicks of her tongue across her nipples. She started to rub her thumb around Byleth's clit, feeling a sudden desire to hear her make some noise. All she'd gotten so far were quiet sighs and nothing more. It was as if Byleth was as mute during sex as she was during any other activity. It was mysteriously frustrating.

There wasn't much she could do, though. No matter how much effort she put into her work, Byleth remained relatively silent. The only clues she had that her actions were being enjoyed was how she could hear Byleth's heart beating fast beneath her chest, and her pussy tightening around her fingers. Still, she wasn't going to back down from what she was doing. It could at least be compensation for the orgasm that she'd be given.

Though she continued to remain quiet, Byleth's breath did increase the closer she got to cumming. With her face buried in between Byleth's breasts, she put more focus into the movements of her fingers. She was going to bring Byleth to orgasm. There was no way that she would fail there. Even if she had proven herself more... submissive than she'd hoped, she could at least do this.

And she did, thankfully. With a quiet, shuddering groan, Byleth's pussy clamped down on Catherine's fingers. A gushing of her juices coated her fingers as she continue to wiggle them around. She looked up at Byleth, seeing her eyes closed and her lips partially parted. Without her big eyes open, Catherine felt less like she was having her soul stared through. It gave her a little bit of confidence.

When she was able to wrest her fingers from Byleth's pussy, she got up on shaky legs and wiped them down with a towel. Then she returned to where Byleth was still sitting, plopping down on her butt. "Whew, I'm beat!" She felt like she could use a little break, so she fell over onto her back, closing her eyes and sighing. At the moment, it didn't matter that she was butt-naked in the knights hall, where any of her fellow knights could walk in and see her in ways they should never consider. Byleth had worn her down more than a pack of bandits, and she just needed to catch her breath. "I think I understand you now, though."

"Hm?" Byleth tilted her head, wondering just what it was that Catherine had 'learned' about her. Besides a light increase in her breathing, and her complete nudity, one might not know she had even engaged in such depraved activities.

"There's something... captivating about you." Getting up on her elbows, she stared at Byleth, feeling something inside her when those big eyes were trained on her. "You made me do something I had no intention of doing when I invited you here. I wanted to see just why Lady Rhea had taken such a liking to you, and I don't truly know the answer. Maybe I'll never know, but I can _feel_ there's something inside you. It can't really be explained by words, if you know what I mean?"

Byleth just nodded, not _truly_ sure of what Catherine was talking about. It was hard to understand something that couldn't be explained. Or _wouldn't_ be explained, as it seemed to be the case with literally everything concerning her life. She was used to it, though, so she didn't expect true understanding from Catherine. Maybe Catherine didn't either, and that was fine. At least they both got a good lay out of it.

"I'm still going to watch you, though." Byleth quirked an eyebrow, seeing determination in Catherine's stare. "I want to know, without a shadow of a doubt, why Lady Rhea likes you so much. I won't rest until I've found out, even if that means we have to have more sparring sessions like we did today." A light blush crossed her cheeks, but she shook it off quickly. "Here, take these." She reached down and grabbed her discarded panties, navy blue in color, handing them over to Byleth.

"Why?" It was something Byleth was used to, but she still felt compelled to ask why. Maybe it was just a Fódlan tradition that she never experienced in her years as a mercenary. To be fair, she wasn't having sex while fighting off bandits and other lowlives, so perhaps that tradition had just escaped her knowledge. It certainly would've been a weird topic for her father to broach, that was for sure.

"So every time you see it, you'll remember that I'm watching you." Sans underwear, she popped up and started to put back on her clothes. "Like I said, I won't rest until I've figured you out. After all, I gotta keep an eye out for my competition." Competition? For what? She stared at Catherine, but no answer was forthcoming. 

"I'll keep that in mind." Catherine said she was trying to figure her out, but sometimes it felt like _she_ was trying to figure all of _them_ out. It didn't feel any easier than prying information about her past out of her was for the rest of the school. Maybe there was just something in the water.


End file.
